Let us all come forward and draw near with true (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith (by that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22 AMPC

Driving alone with my two canine companions for eleven hours, could not have been better. The dogs were chilled, taking an amazing nap in the back of the car. I stayed alert and the car did not falter.

As a side note, the week I arrived, all four of my brakes had to be replaced. They suddenly began to make an alarming grinding noise. I knew the timing was God’s protection! After two months of intensely trusting Him as a companion in this moving process, my awareness of His protection and provision was highlighting God’s goodness

The awareness of His goodness freed my fears and fed my faith.

The Heart, Mind, and Soul Work Together to Taste the Goodness of God

Taste and see that the Lord is good!How blessed is the one who takes shelter in him! Psalms 34:8 NET

Written together, the words “taste” and “see”, in the original Hebrew language mean; to perceive, experience, behold, see intellectually, live to see, to be fullyaware.

As we trust we must also be intentional about developing our soul awareness of God’s goodness. We must be devoted to staying engaged in the process of softening our wounded hearts and opening our minds.

The 3 Actions that Lead to the Tasting of God’s Goodness

SEEK– To make a delicious dish, research is done first, seeking more information about the combination of spices and cooking temperatures. To seek, to “see intellectually”, to know what is the goodness of God and to understand what His promises are, is the first step toward developing the taste for God’s goodness.

Praying for wisdom and discernment, followed by the study of scripture, will reveal God truths that will heighten trust leaving us with a desire for more divine connection.

ENGAGE– To be intentionally aware of the presence of God. To be mindful of people, protection, and provision that God is placing in your life. To be still, to open your awareness to the presence of God in your mind and heart.

ENJOY – The moment your taste is stimulated, relish in the savory taste of His love. Take note, take a picture, pause, imbibe in the moment. There is no joy like the realization that God cares, He is there, He sees, He loves unconditionally…We are free from the confines of our fears.

Live Hope(full) Hearted

Tasting God’s goodness grows a life that is hope(full).

We become hope(full) hearted living as someone that can say “I have this hope In the depth of my soul”. Your heart is the essence of who you are, your identity, it determines your perspective of life.

A heart full of hope, a confident trust, in God’s goodness will have an awareness of His presence. An awareness that will change your perspective allowing you to see yourself and others with eyes love and compassion.

I am going forward in this new place, two states away, hope(full) hearted. God has become my place of peace and source of joy. Prayers have been answered guiding our church planting team in God’s direction. Some days I do focus on the hurt(full) moments of loss and lose my footing a bit. My good God is patient and forgiving as I take one day at a time.

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And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8:38 NLT

Living in a new state, miles from my comfort zone, has been more of a challenge than I would have imagined. I moved from a metropolitan area to a rural town, went from being known to being unknown, from being confident in my purpose to wavering in my direction. The changes have put me on edge, feeling lonely and fearful of the future.

In addition to the physical changes, and emotional losses, I am now feeling a pressing need to be more spiritually vulnerable. Awareness of my hidden pride is becoming more evident to me and is pounding on my soul, needing to be released. The pride in me is disgusted with my pride. How could it be?…I am indeed prideful!

My dissatisfaction stems from a need for my circumstance to assuage my heart. To feel valued and worthy I need certain circumstances to fill the “not valued” and “not worthy” wound of my heart. Circumstances feed my pride. The middle letter in pride is I which points to the focus of pride. I am worthy if I am known and belong. Pride causes the focus to be on self and not the amazing love of God.

This pride is a contributor to my weak confidence in my calling. “If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it” daily screams the quote from its perch on the windowsill of my bathroom. I needed to let go of my pride and lean in on my Father to soothe my losses and invigorate my calling.

Nestled next to the screaming quote on the window sill is a small but hugely important bearer of a healing truth – YOU ARE LOVED. That is the answer to dispelling my pesty pride…I need to live out of the truth that I am loved by the creator of the universe! That is all I need, trusting His love.

In the words of C.S. Lewis, “Pride always means enmity … not only enmity between man and man but enmity to God.” When I am focusing on what I need instead of submitting peacefully to the will of God I am not trusting God’s plan and His love for me. A prideful life is living without faith.

A definition of faith written in the Amplified Classic edition of the Bible is: leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness.

Let us all come forward and draw near with true (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith (by that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22 AMPC

My admission of the guilt of pride is fortifying my conviction to press forward in this place with “absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness” and let only the presence of His love fill my heart! As Romans 8:38 proclaims, “nothing can separate us from God’s love”, not even our fears. When we are prideful and fearful we are leaning away from a trusting faith. God then leans in to be available with His “goodness” his amazing grace-filled love and forgiveness.

The words to Audrey Assad song I Shall Not Want gives a remedy to fearful, prideful hearts:

From the love of my own comfort
From the fear of having nothing
From a life of worldly passions
Deliver me O God

From the need to be understood
And from a need to be accepted
From the fear of being lonely
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God

And I shall not want, no, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness, I shall not want

From the fear of serving others
Oh, and from the fear of death or trial
And from the fear of humility
Deliver me O God
Yes, deliver me O God

And I shall not want, no, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

No, I shall not want, no, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
I shall not want
I shall not want

How do we “taste His goodness”?

To taste God’s goodness we must first have a taste for God.

To taste (a verb), consume, discern and experience God’s goodness we must first have a taste (a noun), an appetite, a desire and a preference for God. The converse is also true, the more we taste God’s goodness, the more we will have a taste for His presence in our lives.

Tasting is a choice that will lead to a life-giving peace. Pridefulness is a choice that stifles the peace in our hearts. To allow God’s goodness to satisfy our taste, to heal our hurt, to supply our insufficiencies and fill our every need takes deliberate acts that will deliver us from our fearful pride.

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My memories of Easter as a child were of bright new dresses, fresh budding flowers, songs of joy, ham and Easter eggs. In my child’s mind, it was a time of new beginnings. A new season full of blooming nature, new spring clothes, the beginning of outdoor play, all pointing to the countdown to summer!

As an adult Easter is still a time of new beginnings. Now it is a time of igniting a brighter hope and fresh focus. It is a time to authentically examine my heart extend the depth of my understanding of God’s love through the reality of Easter. A reality that points to the eternal perspective of a life connected to our loving God, through Christ, embodied by Holy Spirit. The resurrection of Christ gives the promise of a new beginning; a resurrected life, empowered by the divine creator!

To prepare my heart and mind to embrace the reality of our resurrected Christ, I engage in a two-prong process;

First, I reflect on my weaknesses, deficiencies, and defaults. Reflecting with a vulnerable honesty, seeking to purge the vain prideful mask that hides my fleshly fears. It is hard to die to yourself if you do not know yourself.

Secondly, I heighten a fresh focus on my Savior’s powerful sufficiency and strength. As I gain clarity on my need for His presences, I gratefully drop the mask to MOVE. Moving to deny my misguided agendas, releasing my wall of fear and placing myself behind His will. To lift Him high as “my kingdoms fall”, the words of Once And For All describe the first step in living life through His love.

After the MOVE to lift Him and lower my faulty desires, I must WAIT. WAIT, to still my fears, still my control, to still my anxiety, as I trust in His power, praising His presence. Waiting on His direction.

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NLT

God’s direction, His present Spirit within us moves us from… death to life, dark to light, fear to faith, sorrow to joy. We are united with Him through Christ, empowered to MOVE by a divine connection, a God-ability implanted in us.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Ephesians 1:3 NLT

MOVE, WAIT, MOVE a journey from personal vulnerability to a God-ability, beginning a new life reality, resurrected from fear, revived by the power of His love.

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Milky Way behind the Natural Bridge in Yellowstone by NPS/Jacob W. Frank

He counts the starsand calls them all by name. Psalms 147:4

He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession James 1:18

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4

WE ARE HIS PRIZED POSSESSION! Those words penetrated my soul. It startled me how those words of truth, seem to rise from the page, imprinting fresh on my heart. I have studied the book of James many times and I seem to be discovering this verse for the first time!

Our creation is vast, from the countless stars to the immense oceans of the earth. Elaborately created for our pleasure. We are at the top, the supreme, the first fruit, the treasured prize. To embrace and embody that truth should strengthen our souls, giving us a solid foundation on which to build our life.

Building our lives on this truth empowers our trust and sustains our hope in our God. When we become discouraged in the difficulties of this world, we can choose to be reminded of our God status.

Why am I discouraged?Why is my heart so sad?I will put my hope in God!I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! Psalm 43:5 (this verse is mentioned 3 times in Psalm 42 and 43. David expressed a common struggle of all mankind, pointing to the remedy of hope.)

Let my soul be at rest again,for the Lord has been good to me. Psalm 116:7

God gives us grace to even help us trust him! The following prayer brings to light the truth of God’s mercy and power:

Grant me, O Lord, to trust in you with all my heart; for, as you always resist the proud

who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AMEN (pg 515 Prayers for Summertime, Phyllis Tickle)

Praise be to our Holy God who treasures us enough to give us the grace to live in His light, to live free from fear and strong in faith!

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But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!Ephesians 1:18 (The Message)

My vision had become gradually hazy with less and less clarity. Cataracts invaded my lens, an unwelcome aliment that caught me by surprise.To have these cataracts removed required an amazingly quick procedure lasting 5 to 6 minutes. The old lens was removed, under local anesthesia, and replaced with a uniquely measured lens, suited to my vision needs.

The results were startling. The clarity of vision was better than I had ever experienced in my life! The new clarity seemed to give me energy as my visual world became more easily assessable.

This visual transformation from a lens replacement is like the heart replacement gained when we take off our old self and replace it with our renewed spiritual self as a child of God. This presence of God within my soul gives me an intensity of energy that is like “nothing and no one else” can give me.

When I trust the divine reality of God’s presence within me, my heart gains a clarity and strength and I am then able to extend the same love and grace to others. Unfortunately, my fear based heart often keeps me out of focus with the reality of God’s love and Spirit that is implanted in my soul. This becomes an obstacle, hampering my new heart from controlling my perceptions and responses.

Last week, I spent almost 2 hours, online, attempting to complete airline reservations. A “glitch” in the system, created much stress for me and was wasting my time. I felt powerless and disrespected by the endless technical dead ends and human errors. Ever felt that way?

I began to push back with irritable words. The person helping me with the reservation had to ask me to “be patient”. Those words penetrated my heart.She was patient with me as she tried to help my reservations become a reality. I had slipped back on my old heart of hazy distorted perceptions. The presence of my patience would have indicated that I was “seeing” clearly, through the eyes of my new heart. I would have realized the technical glitches were not her fault and they were not about me.

There were 4 evidences that my heart vision was out of focus. All exist as reactions from my old heart wounds. They became obstacles to living with the clarity of God’s love.

1. Overloaded schedule – I have a habit of regularly cramming too many activities into my daily schedule, giving no margin to tolerate any delay. The busier I am the better I am, has been my belief. I believed that my value was defined by what I do. That was the old identity, my old habits. Habits are hard to break!

If I consistently embrace and live out my new identity in Christ I will have more margin in my day. I will be confident in my value as a daughter of an unconditionally loving God. Nothing I can do would make Him love me more!

This heart change removes the haze of fearful doing, giving clarity on how to respond to my circumstances, rather than letting circumstances define me.

2. Unrealistic expectations – I had an expectation that it should take only 30 minutes, tops, to make these reservation. I expected that the technology would be perfect and there would be a perfect backup if things did not go well. Truth is, technical difficulties are a normal reality and humans are imperfect. These glitches had nothing to do with me. I believed that if things go wrong, I am powerless. Correct beliefs are; I am only in control of myself. God will never leave me and He strengthens me. AND What people say or do is more about them and not me.

I can choose how I will respond to life. I want choose the fruit of the Spirit because God choose me as His daughter. Sometimes I can not do what I want to do and I do the very thing I do not want to do…Paul had a similar problem, read Romans 7.

3. Pride – I selfishly thought I deserved better treatment. Impatience is the “fruit” of pride. Pride is the flip side of the coin of fear. When I begin to fear I am not valued or in control, I respond with a critical, irritable attitude because the circumstances are “making” me feel the fear. Correct beliefs are: I can not be made to feel a certain way, I can choose how to feel and how to act. God’s love will drive out my fear as I trust in Him.

“As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on thing and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.” C. S. Lewis

4.Negativity – Our brains have a negative bias. That means if we mindlessly allow our brains to react without a filter, the thinking will be negative. My reaction to the 2 hour experience took a very negative tone. Negative thoughts were dominating my brain, causing stress and unkind reactions.

A brain controlled with the filtered mindset of joy is less stressed, creating a forgiving, patient interaction.

“To live life you need a center of joy. ” Tim Keller

To have a “center of joy” is to have a joy frame of reference. To delight in the Lord and trust his love and know you are His delight will produce a centering of joy. This fuels my ability to recognize the negative thinking, releasing its power and allowing my focus to be on the joy of living in His love. Seeing the world through the eyes of joy can produce the joy of humor. Humor in this situation would have defused the stress…Laughter is wonderful for the heart, body and soul!

God, the lover of our souls, has chosen to give us His Spirit. We must choose to trust His love and lay down our fear driven agendas and humbly receive His gift. His love is glorified in us when we chooseto receive His grace filled light. We are then free from the bondage of our shortsighted (hazy) fears and we receive a clarification of His love that is startling to our flesh. This clarification removes all obstacles to living a life growing in the fruit of the Spirit.

The Lord is God, Who has shown andgiven us light [He has illuminated us with grace, freedom, and joy]. Psalms 118:27a (AMPC)

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free… Galatians 5:1 (NLT)

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.Galatians 5:22-25 (NLT)

Please listen: The song Simple Pursuit brings to light the reality that “nothing and no one else” comes close to the perfect love of God!

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The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace. Psalms 29:11 (AMP)

Anxious with a hint of panic. Unexpected life situations popping up with next best step unknown. Moved with compassion and an urgency of my own, I listened to these voicemails overflowing with broken marriages, overwhelmed widows, anguished pastors, struggles with life transitions all expressed in the context of fear. For a moment I became overwhelmed myself with the same flood of fear consuming my voice mail.

They were calling me for answers!

I calmed, a quiet reminder activated in my awareness. I am just the instrument, God will provide the comfort and clarity needed to dissipate this tide of fear.

I have not and do not always stay so grounded in my faith. Fear is my default. Anxiety, abundant in my DNA. Insecurities driven by fears of being not good enough, alone and powerless often sabotage any clarity or wisdom I may have.

But my security is covered by the truth that I am more than enough through God’s provision (Philippians 4:19) , I am never alone as God will never stop loving me (Romans 8:39), and am empowered by the presence God’s Holy Spirit within me – I am one with Him as Jesus (John 17:11)

Why is it so hard to OWN the truths we as possess as His children? We know it in our head but struggle to believe it in our hearts and live like it is true. The truth is we are His and our DNA changes when we become His.

A recent Ted Talk by Shawn Achor, listed random acts of kindness, grateful thinking and meditation as activities that cause a rise of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine produces an increase in energy and creativity. Science uncovers a way to have stronger minds and energy.

Scripture alsoreveals the importance of the same actions of grateful thinking, meditation on God, acts of kindness leading us to a life of peace. (Colossians 3:12-17) God’s presence in our heart not only gives us peace but supplies us with a wonderful source of strength and energy as we change our focus.

15-19 That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! Ephesians 1:15-19 (MSG)

So, how do we build our connection to God and strengthen our truth?

I have found it takes focused daily intention, to cultivate a healthy perspective from a soul connection to God. Connection with the Father opens us up to receive the blessing of His peace, equipping our minds to release the chaos and receive clarity with energy.

Reach Out –To maintain any relationship we must regularly schedule times to reach out and stay connected or the connection will fade. The same applies to our relationship with God. We must schedule times, regularly, to seek His presence, so we may begin to understand His love. This would include:

noticing and being mindful of nature in the moment…spending time getting to know Him in His creation.

Reflect-After spending time with God, continue to reflect and notice His presence in your day. Notice those random “coincidences” that remind you of the truths you experienced in your quiet time…I.E. The scripture you read may be woven into a song on the radio as you drive to work. A co-worker may express a concern that gets your attention connecting back to your quiet time. The list can go on…

It is important not to close the book or journal or close your mind and spirit. Keep your heart open through out the day, mindful of to the leading of God’s Spirit.

You will not see it if you do not look for it.

Receive-When we receive food, we taste it, experience and are nourished by it. To receive God’s truths for us we must experience, take it in, be consumed by an encounter with God. Allow the knowledge of truth to impact your DNA. As you change your perspective of yourself, it will change your perspective of others. It will change your thinking which will change the health of your physical brain.

Respond-Intentionality is the key factor in seek God as well as choosing to act out of your new security in Christ. As we choose compassion and curiosity over anger and personalization we will find a reinforcement of our peace and a decrease in those energy draining actions of stuffing feelings and hiding critical thoughts.

As the truth settles into the “core of your being” you will experience an enlightened strength and a powerful peace. Just “let it go down”

“Into the core of your being. And as you read, expect Him to commune with you.” When you read your Bible, receive and savor it like a love letter from God to you. Remember, you’re reading in order to meet Someone. Ponder what you have read, and apply it to your present circumstances. Let it go down ~Bruce Wilkinson

Building trust in God’s truths provides lives that overflow with hope(full)ness replacing the hopelessness of fear. I will strive to continue to grow and strengthen my security in His Truth. Reaching out, Reflecting, Receiving and Responding will give me a practice, a way to find security in God’s promise – He will help those who trust in him.

From long ago no one has ever heard of a God like you.No one has ever seen a God besides you,who helps the people who trust you. Isaiah 64:4 (NCV)

He is a Great God – please listen to this song by Plumb as she celebrates our great God.

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Hopeless couples drive to the end of a road, just on the canyon’s edge. The drive ends with a display of a charming, bright place of retreat. The warmness of the retreat facility seems to mock the cold and fear in their hearts. This was to be a 4 day marital intensive with 4 couples in crisis. 4 couples who’s marriages were hurt and hopeless.

On this cold January night, each couple sat awkwardly near their spouse next to other unknown awkward couples, at a long table, set for the evening meal. A table full of strangers lost in a fog of pain, pretending to be fine with outward social graces, masking hurt hearts.

A questioning, nagging thought…how can hope be found in this place?

The common thread was this self talk of hopelessness and fear. Fear of being judged, fear of being the most messed up couple, fear of failure in an attempt to free this marriage of the pain.

Tension was evident as I entered the room and sat at the end of the table. I was one of two therapists assigned to journey with these couples for the next 4 days, to lead them to a place of hope. My focus, as I sat down, was to pierce through the fog of tension and eat with careful conversation, allowing them to begin to find a place of comfort.

Unwrapping the gift of hope begins on the first night with the first meeting. Leading them from an empty place of hopelessness to the anchored security of hopefulness. A journey that requires trust, an open heart and a desire for healing. Trust follows a confidence in sincere caring love. Myself, as well as the entire staff, consistently show the couples that we care, we love them and then point them to the love of the Father in heaven.

The journey for the couples over these 4 days is not unlike the life journey we must all take, when we choose to live hope(full) – a life filled with hope. This hope should not just be a wishful desire. It should be a wanted expectant reality. It is a possibility as we faithfully open our hearts to the grace, love and peace of God. Faithful to trust and confident in the expectation of his presence. Hope will heal the hurt.

In Psalm 71 David speaks of his trust, confidence and hope.

In you, O Lord, I have put my trustandconfidently taken refuge; Let me never be [a]put to shame. 2 In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; Incline Your ear to me and save me. 3 Be to me a rock of refuge and a sheltering stronghold to which I may continually come; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress. 4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked (godless),From the grasp of the unrighteous and ruthless man. 5 For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trustand the source of my confidence from my youth. 6 Upon You have I relied and been sustained from my birth; You are He who took me from my mother’s womb and You have been my benefactor from that day. My praise is continually of You…..Verse 14But as for me, I will wait and hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more

a. 71:1 i.e. have my expectations in Your goodness be disappointed.

The word “hope” in both Hebrew and the Greek implies a confident expectation. It is not just a positive attitude. Henri Nouwen says it well:

Optimism and hope are radically different attitudes. Optimism is the expectation that things-the weather, human relationships, the economy, the political situation, and so on-will get better. Hope is the trust that God will fulfill God’s promises to us in a way that leads us to true freedom. The optimist speaks about concrete changes in the future. The person of hope lives in the moment with the knowledge and trust that all of life is in good hands.

Living hope(full) changes how we see ourselves, what we value and what we choose to do with our life. Hope gives us joy, peace, comfort, courage and confidence. Hope is the fuel to find healing for the hurt.

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Hebrews 6:19 NLT

Hope(full) living will require a seeking and understanding of the word of God, resting in God’s grace and a realization of the presences of the Spirit of God.

So prepare your minds for action, be completely sober [in spirit—steadfast, self-disciplined, spiritually and morally alert], fix your hope completely on the grace [of God] that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1Peter 1:13 AMP

We can find hopefulness in a place of hopelessness by making choices, to control our mindset and strengthen our awareness. Finding hope engages the following:

H eart – In the Old Testament the word heart means; the inner man, mind, will and heart. This includes the breath of a person! Hope(full) living will take a “whole hearted” commitment to carefully examine the hurt, to expel childhood fears and perceptions, then begin to allow the filling of God’s truth in your heart.

O penness – To be hope(full) there must be an openness to allow God’s truth to have access to the heart. To have an open heart as a child that is seeking love. Rather than a hard heart of anger and pride.

P assion – Pursue with passion to be healed of hopelessness. It will take an intentional focus of thinking and effort to experience not only the knowing about God but the knowing of God. Opening the eyes of your heart will allow you to receive God. This will take the energy of a confident passion to proceed with the changes God plants in your heart. You must want to be healed.

E xpectancy – Exciting anticipation is the reality of hope(full) thinking. An open passionate heart will naturally be expectant that hopelessness will not be a permanent reality, but a distant memory of the past.

F aithfullness – A strong assurance and trust in the promises of God’s faithfulness, fully captures the essences of hope. A heart, soul and mind fueled with faith will be open to the voice of God, moving with passion, toward a life expecting the presence of God, craving the fullness of his promises.

U nity – Hope(full) living will be a turning toward God. A hope(full) heart has understanding of the union of God within us – His presences residing in us through the Holy Spirit. Realizing this unity brings a peace that is felt in our soul and evident in our life as we live in this agitated world.

L ove – Divine love changes the individual who responds to change the world. The filling of God’s love in an open, faithful, passionate heart that is constantly seeking to be united with God, causes an overflow of hope spilling it’s light to the world.

(L ook) – Observe, notice, watch, examine your life. See the world through eyes of gratitude to clear the fog of hopelessness. Gratitude fills in hope, hope builds gratitude. A hope(full) life expects and sees the light of God’s provision in the darkest places.

And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the[a]hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the [b]saints (God’s people), Ephesians 1:18 AMP

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired. Isaiah 40:31 AMP

The hopeless couples did choose to become hope filled couples, learning how to live hope(fully) in their marriage. The 4 days were a process of hurting hearts trusting the loving presences of God in that place. Choosing to heal the hurt by opening their hearts, seeing the faithfulness and love of God then pursuing change. Day 1 is known for the weariness, day 4 reveals renewed stronger couples who are more resolved to live hope(fully).

To live hope(full), in any life situation, is God’s desire.

The purpose of this entire web site is to equip others to live hope(full) through anxiety, depression, grief, life transitions, marriage, chronic illness, career losses, and other life struggles and adjustments. The color of the text points to this purpose. Green, the color for scripture, is to signify the growth and progress of our hope. In the Message, Eugene Peterson, writes in Romans 15:13, “May the God of green hope fill you up”. In Africa the color orange signifies “Hope”. Any quote or saying that gives energy to hope I will use the color orange. Color gives highlight to our lives just as the presence of hope.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises. Romans 15:13 AMP

The power of God is the same power that lives in us, His children. We have hope (a confident expectation) that his promises are true…we stand in victory. This is the Life that is hope(full)! Listen to Jeremy Camps song Same Powerto encourage you to make the choice to LIVE HOPE(FULL).

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How can I be lonely in the midst of continuous contact? My heart feels strangely empty and unknown. I have a sense of purpose with a meaningful ministry. I have a husband who loves me and children who seek my connection. What is going on?

Loneliness is a common experience for many. Loneliness may be a physical reality, but all to often it is a mental disposition.

“The number of single-person households has increased from roughly seven to 25 percent of all households in the last 60 years. But as psychologists have discovered, humans are meant to live in groups, and they thrive through their social interactions.”

Loneliness can have a detrimental effect on one’s mental and physical health. It can activate poor coping choices, such as increased alcohol and food consumption and other addictive behaviors.

The lifestyle of business has become something to admire. We live over scheduled, hyper-networked and self-reliant lives, seeking to be filled by the connection of success and admiration from others. Turning to technology can seem like a clean substitute for connection. Yet, this only short circuits authenticity and has been proven to decrease empathy.

Shorter attention spans typically found in technology-savvy people negatively impact the mature development of the human qualities of empathy and compassion. (Karp, 208; Merzenich, 2008; Marziali, 2009 – printed in Family Therapy Magazine, aamft.org)

Our life style can create our loneliness. But, is it just life style that contributes to this sense of loneliness?A negative mindset toward self and others may be the strongest contributor of loneliness.

There are four common strategies for reducing loneliness. For the lonely, there is a need to improve social skills, increase exposure to social support and opportunities for social contact. Particularly the chronically ill and the aging population.

The number one most effective strategy was addressing the negative thoughts a person has about themselves and others around them. These negative thoughts are automatic, reactive, and not factual. A feeling is not a fact. As the negative reactive thoughts take over they will sabotage any other attempt to connect. It becomes a vicious cycle. Bingo! That is my problem.

I know I struggle with feeling alone, not good enough and unimportant. I have had those “default” thoughts about myself since childhood. The more I cater to those old feelings the more isolated I become.

To compound the effect of my automatic negative thoughts about myself (my ANTs)… I am naturally an introvert. Introverts are introspective thinkers, they are overwhelmed by too much social exchange. I can not change my temperament but, I can lessen the negative impact it has on my emotions if I take the time to be self aware and objectively understand my perspective.

As an introvert I am prone to excessive self talk (which is influenced by my ANTS) leaving me more prone to anxiety and depression. I then can begin to feel guilty and more inadequate for feeling anxious. What a mess!

My biggest challenge is to not feel like an outsider in my own world. Sometimes I would rather spend time processing thoughts than seeking connection. I am a great listener but by the end of the day I am drained, seeking solitude.

What hope do I have to change! Hope is precisely what I will need to change.

First, I must recognize those ANTs that plague my thinking. They have become my default setting and rise to the occasion when I become fatigued and lonely. They are my fears, not fact. They began in childhood from the eyes of a ecocentric child that took everything personal.

Second, I must reparent my inner child and exchange those eyes of fear with eyes of faith, exchanging feelings for fact. As God’s child I am valuable, wanted and lovable. My best friends also tell me that I am intelligent, loving and compassionate.

Whom do I believe?….the eyes of a child with limited vision or a loving God and tremendous friends. When a call is not returned, a social engagement is postponed or a friend never calls to check in- it does not mean that I am not good enough and unimportant. That is personalizing the action of others. The action of others speak more about them and their situation not who I am as a person. It may mean they think I am busy! Believing the truth based on the love of, the God of hope, creates a different perspective that perpetuates a better attitude for connection.

Hope in God is a confident expectation. Not wishful thinking. Scripture is full of over 3,000 verses referring to the promises of God that supplies our hope. To be hope(full) I must fill my thoughts with truth, not fears. God given hope gives a lovely reality that relieves the lonely feelings of unworthiness.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy peopleand his incomparably great power for us who believe. Ephesians 1:18-19 (NIV)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NIV)

Third, it is helpful to know your temperament. How did God create you? To understand your temperament is to understand your strengths and weaknesses. It really relieved my guilt and feelings of inadequacies when I realized how my temperament impacted my response to the world. I have linked a useful web site that makes a free Myers Briggs personality inventory available. Taking the time to understand your natural “bent” is helpful for you to understand your connections in relationships and life experiences.

Fouth, to spend time with the author of this unyielding, constant source of hope. God carries you through life, he is there regardless of your awareness of Him. Let your eyes see Him, look for Him, expect Him. Hope in Him heightens your awareness and brightens your reality giving a connection for eternity.

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Therefore, preparing your minds for action,[a] and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13 ESV

(Footnote) a. Greek girding up the loins of your mind

My house had exploded! My sweet family departed, returning to their homes, leaving remnants of a precious holiday week. It was a delightful disarray of scattered toys, dirty laundry, forgotten sippy cups, stacks of games, left over desserts and used blankets close to the fire… all reminders of the past week sharing love, thoughts, fun and meals. I was not in a big hurry to put away these remnants. There was a sweet sadness that it was over.

What do we do with all the remnants and reminders of our past?

Some reminders are glorious times of accomplishment and treasure. Other reminders are gross times of apathy and tragedy. I have known people who constantly cling to the remnants of a glorious past- trophies, degrees, bank accounts, honors etc.- those who are stuck in the past, failing to connect with the present. I have also known people who are fixated on their losses and failings, shackled with fear, blinding them to the opportunities of the present.

I do not want to cling to the past, whether it was a gain or loss. Clinging to the past shuts down progress and growth. Clinging leads to deterioration rather than just stagnation. Clinging to the past creates a limited mindset, narrowing perception of opportunities and possibilities. Paul gives sound advice in Philippians on what we should do with the past:

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Philippians 3:13-15 (NIV)

“Straining” in the Greek means to “reach forth unto, to stretch one’s self forward, indicating direction.” We have a choice in the new year – to cling to the reminders and remnants of what is behind or resolve to reach forward to renewal.

To resolve, to have a resolution, means to have an intention or aim, a commitment and a plan. What are the intentions of your new year’s resolutions? What motivates your new direction?

Renewal, in a physical sense, means to replace or repair something that is broken. Physically, things of this world are always breaking down, needing replacement, subject to changing value and fickle in being fully satisfying our needs.

Renewal, in a spiritual sense, is the process of being made spiritually new through the Holy Spirit. Spiritual growth has consistent benefit, ridding the old fears with new faith that is fully satisfying to all our needs. Are your resolutions aimed at soul solutions and plans to give the Spirit of God room to strengthen and renew?

To resolve to strain forward toward the “goal”, we must “gird” our mind and heart. In other words, we must prepare as a runner prepares for a race or warrior prepares for battle.

13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having[a]tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart),15 and having[b]strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news].16 Above all, lift up the [protective] [c]shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

a.Lit girded your loins, a phrase often found in the Bible, is an urgent call to get ready for immediate action or a coming event. The phrase is related to the type of clothing worn in ancient times. Before any vigorous activity the loose ends of clothing (tunics, cloaks, mantles, etc.) had to be gathered up and tucked into the wide band worn around the midsection of the body. The band (usually about six inches wide) also served as a kind of pocket or pouch to carry personal items such as a dagger, money or other necessary things. Gird up your mind or gird up your heart are examples of variants of this phrase and call for mental or spiritual preparation for a coming challenge.

Girding and straining to prepare to live forward is a focus we can choose. Our Father will fully supply what we need. We are not alone in our resolve.

The voice of the Lord is powerful;the voice of the Lord is majestic.

The Lord gives his people strength.The Lord blesses them with peace. Psalms 29: 4, 11 (NLT)

To receive the strength of the Lord we must “hope fully” in the grace of God. The grace that we will be made perfect and be one with Him for eternity.

Focus Forward on the love of God -Focus on the hope in God’s love that is in front of you, leading you forward – Live hope(full).

Foward direction – not looking to what is behind

O vercoming fears – with a trusting faith in His grace

C elebrating progress – perfection is not the goal but progress

U tilizing resources – Be aware of what God will provide

S training consistently – taking one day at a time

Resolve to renew!

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one god, for ever and ever, AMEN. The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle

Danny Gokey’s song – Hope in front of Me– is a wonderful inspiration to look for the light of God’s love, no matter how bad it gets.

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“I quit!” I declared, expressing my unsettled sentiment about the day, the week, the month, the season. Not only did everyone I talked to that day have issues of great grief, which were compounded by the season of “happy holiday”, but my own physically weariness was overwhelming.

“Tis the season to be Jolly, Fa-la,la….”

For many, Thanksgivingmarks the beginning of struggle through a desperate, dark season of sorrow and pain. Can thanks-giving be possible as we experience life’s losses?

Healing through grief requires an expanded perspective. We have a choice, to focus on what we are missing by our loss or to open our focus to include the reality of God’s presence.

“Gratitude provides a window to a windowless room…God asks us to show Him gratitude in the dark times of change because He knows that’s how we find Him in the dark. He knows that’s how we find the Light in the dark. The focus on what is missing blurs, and the focus on what is present sharpens.” ~Kristen Strong

An ordinary picture can be edited by color and light adjustment, creating the best version of the captured scene. Gratitude “edits” our circumstance, highlighting the color and light of the presence of God.

Always be joyful.Never stop praying.Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. I Thessalonians 5:16-19 NLT

Always be joyful. Pray continually,and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus. Do not hold back the work of the Holy Spirit. I Thessalonians 5:16-19 NCV

Trusting God’s claim on our lives, His adoption as His child, His provision through the darkness, opens the window to let in the light of His presences. Having an “eye” for gratitude opens our heartfelt trust in the loving-kindness of our merciful Father. We must learn to see life through God’s promises, not our circumstances.

Through the focus of gratitude the “eyes of our heart” can begin to see how God is bringing comfort to our world through the words, actions and presences of loving friends. The “perfect timing” of needed resources that are made available become gifts from a loving Father to support us through our time of need.

The Greek word for thankful in the I Thessalonians text is Eucharisteo.

εὐχαριστέωeucharistéō, yoo-khar-is-teh’-o; from G2170; to be grateful, i.e. (actively) to express gratitude (towards); specially, to say grace at a meal:—(give) thank(-ful, -s).thank(-s, -worthy).

Science has proven the value of gratitude which is “God’s will” for those who are His children. Neuroscience has pursued the benefits of the grateful brain. It has been proven that the practice of intentional, focused gratitude and appreciation can activate the hypothalamus, increase dopamine, heighten the immune system, improve sleep and over all sense of well being. Sign me up!

Science proves the wisdom of the spiritual practice of gratefulness.

The call to be grateful is a call to trust that every moment of our life can be claimed as the way of the cross that leads us to new life. Can we be grateful for everything that has happened in our life—not just the good things but for all that has brought us to today? Gratitude belongs to the core of the life of Jesus and his followers. —Lifesigns by Henri Nouwen

Fear is replaced by faith as we trust who we are in Christ. Our trust is strengthened by our gratefulness for God’s presence in our lives as we realize the reality of His Grace.

**But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15:57 NLT

The word “thank” in this text is the Greek word:

χάριςcháris, khar’-ece; from G5463; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude):—acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace(- ious), joy, liberality, pleasure,

The same Greek word is used as the word “grace” in the following verses:

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus[a] be with you. Romans 16:20 NLT

Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. John 1:16 NIV

Charis is part of the word Eucharisteo. Grace unfolds into Gratitude, which points to the Glory of the Grace of God in our lives. SO true gratitude, embodied in our lives, (I Corinthians 15:57) will empower effective action for the kingdom.

**So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. I Corinthians 15:58

SO I do not quit! I will embrace the grace of God as I am confident we will have victory over the losses and grief in our lives. I am grateful I can walk beside the hurting and witness the healing only the grace and God can give. GOD is GREATER THAN ALL I am grateful to be His.

A Prayer for Thanksgiving

(from the Book of Common Prayer)

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have
done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole
creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life,
and for the mystery of love.We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for
the loving care which surrounds us on every side.We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best
efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy
and delight us.We thank you also for those disappointments and failures
that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the
truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast
obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying,
through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life
again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and
make him known; and through him, at all times and in all
places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

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Cathy T. Burns LPC-S

The purpose of this blog is to lead others to live with intention, focusing each day through the eyes of faith allowing a healing of heart, soul, mind and body through the presence of God... living #Hope(full)